City Seeks Elimination Of Its Civil Service Board

December 27, 1995|By Scott Gregory.

West Chicago — When a part-time administrative secretary quit her job in June 1994, it took the city until July of this year to complete the hiring process and fill the post, city administrator Don Foster said.

Officials said they have grown tired of the lengthy process to hire employees, so aldermen last week voted to place a question on the November ballot asking whether citizens want to abolish the city's Civil Service Commission.

The commission was instituted by voters in the 1950s as a way to combat political patronage and the firing of employees for political reasons.

But Foster said the three-member volunteer panel is no longer necessary because of an array of federal laws that protect employees from political influence.

"Another drawback is that there's so little input from the supervisors of employees," Foster said. "Department heads aren't usually involved in the selection process. When a secretary walks in the door and says, `Here I am,' that may be the first time we met that person."

When a position opens, Foster writes a letter asking the commission to fill the spot. Commissioners then advertise the job, accept applications, give a written test and grade the exams.

With a narrowed field, candidates are asked back for oral interviews, then the commission notifies Foster of its choice. He writes the candidate with a conditional offer, followed by a firm offer.

Officials are outlining a new hiring procedure in case the commission is eliminated.